Start first by determining what type of chimney your appliance requires.
This information is in the instruction manual of your appliance and there are
several types of chimney. For instance; Class A chimney is for wood, coal, and
most fuels however, it may not be required for your gas appliance or pellet
appliance. Pellet vent is for pellet burning appliances or corn burners. B-Vent
is for certain gas appliances but not all. Direct-vent chimney is for a direct-vent
gas appliance. Bottom Line - Read your instruction manual to see what type of
chimney is required for your appliance.

Next, determine the size of the chimney pipe needed. Never go smaller than
what is required or you risk having smoke or gasses backing up or a poor draft
in other words.

There are different requirements for the US or Canada in some cases which
we point out based on the type of chimney.

Once you determine the above 4 requirements you will need to choose a manufacturer
and brand of chimney (many manufacturers offer several brands within a type)
. Although several brands are available, we recommend Dura-Vent DuraTech for
most new installations due to their reputation, warranty, product offering,
availability, and price. Visit our
Class-A Chimney Pipe section for further recommendations.

A: A Thru-The Wall installation is more likely to have drafting
issues because of running cooler and because of elbows etc. Also, they are more
challenging to clean and more expensive to install. Always run straight up if you
can.

A: We recommend Dura-Vent chimney pipe for new installations.
Their reputation, warranty, product offering, availability, and price are hard to
beat. Also see our article
Which Chimney Pipe is Best For Me?

A: The most popular Class A Chimney Pipe we sell by far is the
DuraTech brand by Dura-Vent. DuraTech is a double-wall chimney system which has
a larger selection of components than most others, it is priced well, preferred
by professional installers, and is widely available.

A: If you get stuck please give us a call. We have several trained
customer service representatives that are eager to help you. If you decide to return
all or part of your purchase…no problem. Our philosophy is to help people get what
they want or need or to take it back if it isn't working out. There are no re-stocking
fees but you'll be responsible for shipping costs. We're here to help you succeed
in your chimney pipe installation.

A: Absolutely not! Black pipe is not chimney pipe and should
only be used up to the point of penetrating the ceiling or wall. From that point
on class A chimney pipe is required. Black single wall stove pipe has a clearance
to combustibles of 18” (double-wall black pipe has a clearance of 6") whereas class
A chimney pipe is generally 2”. Black pipe used outside will run way cooler flue
temperatures than class A chimney and will potentially build up creosote quite rapidly
increasing the chance of a chimney fire. There a no safe way to use black stove
pipe for the entire chimney system so ask yourself…Is saving some money worth me
or my family's life and home worth the risk?

A: Typically you should never reduce the size of the chimney
smaller than the outlet of the wood stove flue since doing so will usually cause
smoking out the front or less than desirable draft up the chimney. However, with
that said and assuming the chimney you have is in good condition, why not give it
a try? I have seen installations with a chimney smaller than required that have
a very strong draft that work just fine. Just buy a reducer and try it, if it smokes
badly then you'll need to replace the chimney with the proper size.

Have you cleaned your chimney or had it checked for obstructions like a birds
nest, excessive creosote build-up, etc? If not then get a powerful flashlight,
pop the chimney cap off and take a look (or look up from the bottom of a fireplace).
Clean your chimney if necessary. We carry a huge selection of chimney cleaning
products in our
Chimney Brush
category, our
Chimney Cleaning Accessories category, and our
Chimney Maintenance category.

If your wood stove or fireplace smokes out the front only at first but drafts
fine after a fire is started then most likely the cause is due to a cold chimney
that has what is called a downdraft where the outside air is coming down the
chimney into the home. This is more common on an exterior chimney like many
fireplace chimneys. There isn't an easy cure for this situation but one solution
would be to roll up a newspaper, light it, and hold it up inside the chimney
to get the draft reversed then light your fire. Another option is to install
a draft inducer in the chimney or on top of the chimney. A draft inducer is
a fan that either pushes up the smoke or pulls it up and out. Draft inducers
work very well and generally solve the problem but are somewhat expensive. Draft
inducers are available in our
Chimney Draft Inducers category.

If your wood stove or fireplace only smokes when the wind is blowing from
a certain direction you can try a special cap called a Vac-U-Stack or a draft
inducer which will generally solve the problem. For a smoking masonry fireplace
a common problem is the chimney flue either too small in relation to the opening
or the chimney is not high enough. A quick and easy test is to take a piece
of aluminum foil, pull out enough to span the width of your fireplace, fold
it to a 4” high x however wide your fireplace is, and tape it up to the opening
of your fireplace. In effect you have reduced the size of your fireplace opening.
If this simple test works then go to our
Smoke Guards category and buy a Smoke Guard for a permanent installation.

In other cases your chimney just isn't high enough. An easy and inexpensive
way to test if that's the case is to buy some inexpensive black pipe (for round
chimneys) or get some furnace duct work made to size (for masonry chimney flues)
and temporarily add this section to the top of your chimney. If the poor draft
is cured using this method then either buy enough class A chimney pipe to extend
the height (round chimneys) or for a masonry chimney contact a mason to extend
it or buy a
Flue Stretcher.

A: No. Every manufacturer of class A chimney pipe uses their
own methods to secure the pipe together so one brand most likely will not connect
together correctly with another brand of pipe and could be dangerous due to a poor
fit as it could come apart or leak creosote, smoke, or gasses.

A: 7" pipe will work fine but if you ever decide to put in an
8" appliance you would need to upgrade the pipe to 8". Same situation would apply
if you were using a 6" appliance. Years ago most wood stoves were using an 8" flue
but over the last several years the manufacturers have made smaller more efficient
wood stoves and most stoves these days use a 6" flue. 6" and 8" chimney pipe are
easier to find than 7" and many times you'll find more options in the 6" and 8"
sizes.

A: DuraPlus is a triple-wall chimney system with a layer of
insulation between the innermost wall and the middle wall whereas DuraTech is a
double-wall chimney system with a layer if insulation between the two metal walls.
Both DuraTech and DuraPlus are tested to the same temperature, 2100 degrees and
clearance to combustibles on both brands is 2”. DuraTech is the most popular choice
in most cases and is our top selling brand of pipe. DuraTech has a wider selection
of pipe lengths and finishes, has a wider selection of fittings and components,
is the most popular choice among professional installers, and is widely carried
across the USA. DuraPlus is the only choice for mobile home installations and DuraPlus
HTC is the only choice for Canadian wood stove installations.

A: Many confuse the terms. Stove pipe is usually painted black
and is used in the interior on the home until you transition through a wall or ceiling
then class A chimney pipe is used thereon. Stove pipe, black pipe, single wall pipe
all refer to the same thing. Chimney pipe, class A pipe, triple-wall pipe, insulated
pipe all refer to class A chimney pipe. Double-wall pipe could be associated with
either double-wall black pipe like DVL or double-wall chimney pipe like DuraTech.

A: The National Fire Protection Association Standard #211 states:
“Chimneys shall extend at least three feet above the highest point where it passes
through the roof of a building, and at least two feet higher than any portion of
a building within ten feet.” See Fig 1.

A: We're experts when it comes to chimney installation and we
have a full staff eager to help you solve your chimney system challenges. We have
a large stock of chimney products from pipe to brushes to cleaners and everything
imaginable for your fireplace, wood stove and pellet stove. Unlike many internet
retailers who carry little or no inventory, we have a 23,000 sq. ft. warehouse stocked
with product. The big advantage there is we can generally process your order faster,
provide better tracking information about your order and we understand the products
since we see, feel, and handle them. NorthlineExpress has an A rating with the BBB
and we have a policy to keep the customer happy even if we lose money, it just makes
life easier. When you call our company you'll talk to an individual who is always
looking out for your best interest. We are here to take your calls Monday –Friday
from 9AM-6PM, also on Saturday from 10 am -3pm EST. We are always available 24/7
on the web. Also see
Why Buy From NorthlineExpress.com and our
Welcome pages.

A: For wood stoves and most fireplaces being installed in Canada
DuraPlus HTC is the only choice from Dura-Vent. The reason is that the HTC pipe
has 2" thick insulation to pass the 2 hours burn/temp test required in Canada. The
DuraTech has a 1" blanket of insulation and will not pass the Canadian test but
passes the USA test. DuraTech's only listing for use with a wood burning appliance
in Canada are a few Zero Clearance fireplaces listed for use in Canada. Other than
that, DuraTech is only listed for oil and gas in Canada. Always read your appliance
instruction manual for proper chimney recommendations. DuraPlus HTC is listed for
Canada use to ULC S629 (143-P-03-2).

A: It depends on your clearance to combustibles. Single wall
black stove pipe needs to be at least 18" from combustibles, will radiate more heat
than double wall black stove pipe (desirable in most cases), costs way less, and
can be cut to length if needed. Double wall black stove pipe has a 6" from combustibles
and isn't very hot to the touch. Clearances to combustibles can also be reduced
with various items such as
Pipe Heat
Shields. Mobile home installations require double wall black stove pipe for
added safety.

A: Black stove pipe is available from NorthlineExpress in 3
brands of single wall and at least two brands of double wall pipe. Single wall black
stove pipe is offered in three grades; Snap-Lock, DuraBlack, and HeatFab. Snap-Lock
pipe is the least expensive but not necessarily the best choice. It snaps together
hence its name, has thinner gauge metal than DuraBlack and doesn't fit together
as nicely as other brands of black stove pipe. DuraBlack is our most popular choice
of black stove pipe as it is less expensive than HeatFab, is 24 gauge thick, fits
together nicely with Dura-Vent chimney systems, and has a lot of fittings available.
HeatFab is the thickest black pipe at 22 gauge, has many fittings, fits well together
and is a good choice for those looking for the highest quality and longest lasting
stove pipe.

A: Many confuse the terms. Stove pipe is usually painted black
and is used in the interior of the home until you transition through a wall or ceiling,
class A chimney pipe is used thereon. Stove pipe, black pipe, single wall pipe all
refer to the same thing. Chimney pipe, class A pipe, triple-wall pipe, insulated
pipe all refer to class A chimney pipe. Double-wall pipe could be associated with
either double-wall black pipe like DVL ( brand) or double-wall chimney pipe like
DuraTech (brand).

A: Yes. Screwing sections of black stove pipe together adds
an extra margin of safety and is generally required by most building codes. Double
wall black stove pipe like DVL can be screwed together but don't penetrate the inner
wall. We sell special
Black Stove Pipe Screws for that purpose.

A: The crimped end of the stove pipe goes down. Many people
think the crimped end goes up to keep the smoke in the pipe but that is incorrect.
First of all the smoke is not just going up on its own, it is being drawn up the
chimney by the natural draft. Secondly the crimped end must go down so that if condensation
or creosote runs down the stove pipe it will remain inside the pipe or wood stove/fireplace.

A: Yes, we do. However they are sometimes very hard to match
up. You may need to find a sheet metal shop and have a custom one made up. Search
our
Stove Pipe section to see if we have a size available that matches your stove.

Start first by determining what size of chimney your pellet stove requires,
pellet vent pipe is available in 3" and 4" diameters. This information is in
the instruction manual of your pellet stove. Never go smaller than what is required
or you risk having smoke or gasses backing up or a poor draft in other words.

Determine the layout or installation type that is applicable for your home.
For pellet vent the most popular installation is thru-the-wall terminating outside
versus a straight up installation and is relatively inexpensive.

Once you determine the above requirements you will need to choose a manufacturer
and brand of chimney (many manufacturers offer several brands within a type).

A: Dura-Vent PelletVent is less expensive than PelletVent Pro,
however, we recommend Dura-Vent PelletVent Pro. PelletVent Pro is available in galvalume
or black (galvalume only in PelletVent), has a wider selection of components available
and has a 1” clearance to combustibles versus 3” clearance on PelletVent and many
other brands of pellet vent pipe. PelletVent Pro is preferred by professional installers
and is our top selling pellet vent pipe. Additional information is available in
our
Pellet Vent Pipe section.

A: No. If you already have a 3" pellet vent pipe system installed
and you now have a 4" pellet vent stove you will need to replace the 3" pipe with
4" pellet vent pipe otherwise the pellet stove will most likely not draft properly.
You can always increase a 3" pellet stove for use with a 4" system but you should
never reduce the size. Optimum performance usually is achieved when the pellet vent
diameter is the same as the appliance. It is possible to have too much draft, however
it is generally not an issue. Too little of a draft is a much bigger problem since
the stove may not burn properly or gasses can back up in the home. For a 3" to 4"
pellet vent increaser use item
5SP-3PVP-X4AD or
5SP-3PVP-X4ADB.